puppies

Two of the best GIF genres are puppies and futuristic shit. This GIF combines both. According to The Next Web, this sassy dachshund’s name is Lolli, and she’s wearing the Disco Dog LED vest. The $300+ pet accessory is controlled by a smartphone app using Bluetooth and raised $22,757 on Kickstarter. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the project is producing more vests beyond the 45 manufactured for the original backers of the project. All other pet owners who want life to be more like a Daft Punk video, you’re out of luck.

After Time Out Chicago axed their full-time art critic, a flurry of criticism arose about how many full-time art critics are actually out there, and whether freelance critics count. Gallerist NY adds to this debate just by simply stating what critic Deborah Solomon stated on WNYC this week, that there are fewer than ten full-time art critics writing for newspapers. Yes, we know this, but many freelancers out there are upset that “full-time art critic” doesn’t refer to online publications or those who write for several. It’s an issue of legitimacy in the eyes of changing media. For that debate, just take a look at the comments section to this piece. [Gallerist NY]

Greg Allen is no fan of Architecture Firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s Hirschhorn design, “The Bubble”. Liz Diller wonders if the museum could be an agent for cultural diplomacy and proceeds to present a structure designed to house expensive events like TED, the WEF, and CFR fora. Why ask the question, if the purpose of the venue won’t ever answer the question. [Greg.org]

Fewer couples are having kids in the states, but they’re making way for more puppies. U-S-A! [The Atlantic]

Bushwick Open Studios starts next week, and runs from May 31st through June 2nd. Here’s the map of the 587 studios listed so far. [Arts in Bushwick]

Hennessy Youngman has come out with his second lo-fi mix this year, CVS Bangers Vol. 2. Listen to the mellow 80s tracks you’d hear while filling your cart up with Mac ‘n’ Cheez Whiz, interrupted by a blaring airhorn, then Hennessy-designed ads, then someone saying “Obama”. Just Obama. [Soundcloud via Twitter]

The Asia Society has hired a new President, Josette Sheeran, vice chair of the World Economic Forum. [The Wall Street Journal]

The Met just appointed a new curator to its Department of Medieval Art and the Cloisters, C. Griffith Mann, since the Cleveland Museum of Art’s chief curator. He’ll be bumping up current curator Peter Barnet to senior curator of that department. [Cleveland.com]

If only the world’s leaders were wiener dogs, then we’d have fewer problems. At least that’s the premise of Dachshund UN, an event held in Toronto last night. You can catch the proceedings of this model conference over on Livestream. [Livestream, thanks to Lorna Mills]

Tate Director Chris Dercon opens up to ARTnews about his past as a “really, really bad Belgian artist”. In more awkwardness, he describes how leading a museum is like being the captain of a large ocean liner. “If there are any achievements it’s navigation, and it’s really not like the Costa Concordia,” he said, referring to the 2012 Italian shipwreck disaster. [ARTnews]

Gawker reports on the tribulations of a MFA student at SVA who could not get a break with his semen art project. Staff forcibly removed his refrigerated jizz from the student gallery on the grounds of seeing the “creative potential of the artist as a health hazard.”[Gawker]

In conjunction with Armory Week, 36 Bushwick and Ridgewood galleries will be staying open late next Saturday, until 10 PM. [Bushwick Gallery Late Night]

Sotheby’s is increasing their buyers premium. This follows Christie’s decision to do the same earlier this year. A spokesman for Sotheby’s described the change as having “moved farther ahead to what we think of as rounder numbers.” Whatever that means. [ARTINFO]

The NEA budget will be cut by 5 percent thanks to the sequester, but those numbers are based on the current budget, which runs through March 27. After that, a lot may change. [ARTINFO]

Puppies are cute, so why do they end up having names that sound like Allen Ginsberg poems? [Slate]

In honor of Valentine’s Day, overeducated Conway Twitty lookalike Jonathan Jones writes about the cupid’s mischief at different points in art history. [Guardian]

Make love to your iPad (no, really): designs for the iPad Fleshlight prototype have been released. [The Register]

Twitter is teaming up with satellite companies to expand its service into the middle of the Australian desert. [Kurzweil]

Today marks the 50th anniversary of Jacqueline Kennedy’s televised White House tour, in which she shared her broad expertise in art and design. Male AFC staff are trying to think of a way to say “Hot damn!” while still sounding classy. [Culture Monster]

Further indication that crime totally does pay: Walter Beltracchi, the German sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of forgery, is now making art with photographer Manfred Esser, and selling them for five figures apiece. [Journal des Arts]